Wood Floor Repairs | Repairing Hardwood Flooring | Installation Tips
When repairing a hardwood floor, time and patience with the proper tools, techniques and products
will pay off in the end. It's very easy to damage pieces next to the ones that are being repaired,
and if damage occurs, it makes for a long day.
Site Finish Hardwood Flooring Repairs
For a 3/4" by 2 1/4" board, use a circular saw set at the proper depth (3/4 inch), making two passes
approximately 1/2" inch from each side of the board (not cutting past the end joints). The third cut
goes on an angle between the first two cuts, again not cutting through the side match. Once the cuts
are made, use a sharp chisel to remove the cut pieces. Clean and vacuum the groove and area around
the repair, making sure all debris is removed. After these steps are complete, select a straight
piece of flooring that has a similar grain pattern as the one removed. Cut the piece of flooring
to the exact length to ensure a tight fit, not leaving cracks at the end joints. (This repair can
also be done with a router and template.) Once the piece is cut to length, the bottom of the groove
will need to be removed. This can be done by scribing the back of the board with a razor knife,
then tapping the piece off with a hammer. Each end of the board can be beveled with a miter saw
or by using a block plane to bevel the groove-side of the board. Always dry fit the piece before
installing. Now the piece is ready to install, using a two- part epoxy. With a gun and nozzle,
apply the glue in the groove and on the tongue of the boards adjoining the repair. Also, apply
glue to the tongue and groove on the repair piece. The epoxy will set up very quickly, so time
is limited. The reason for using epoxy is that you can sand the repair within 10 to 15 minutes
after it is properly installed. Other glues will take longer to set and will require drying
overnight before the repair can be sanded.
Factory Finished Wood Floor Repairs | Prefinished, Engineered Wood Floor Repair
When repairing staple- or nail-down prefinished or job-site finished floors, the repair can
be done in the same manner. However, repairing a finished floor takes more time before and
during the repair to avoid damage to the already finished floor. Again, it is critical when
selecting boards on a prefinished floor repair to match grain, color, sheen and appearance
for best results. When repairing a floor that has been stained and finished, it takes a great
deal of experience, skill and patience to produce a successful repair. Using an edger and
fine-grit sandpaper (80-100 grit), sand the repair flat. After the repair is sanded, use
a sharp scraper IX inches wide to scrape scratches out and feather back into existing
stain or finish. I call this "chasing the grain." Using the natural pattern of the grain
in the wood flooring, lightly scrape and blend the area in which you are working. After
all scraping is complete, clean and hand sand with 80- or 100- grit paper. Do not sand
out into the finished area at this time. Then sand lightly around the repair with a
finer grit of sandpaper, mainly where the finish meets the bare wood. This will smooth
the finish so the stain doesn't bond to it and cause a darker halo.
Glued Down Wood Floor Repairs | Prefinished, Engineered Glue-Down Floor Repair
Repairing glue-down products takes a different approach. The adhesive used to glue
the flooring to the subfloor (whether wood or concrete) slightly glues one piece to
another, therefore making the repair difficult. However, the basic technique remains
the same. After making two cuts lengthwise and a third diagonally, the damaged
flooring should be removed with a chisel.
